Program

The project began out of a desire for an age-in-place renovation and addition to an existing house. The project requirements also called for a large entertaining space for friends and family and an exercise area. After accessing the current layout, we decided it was best to flip the master bedroom (on the 2nd level) and the guest bedroom (on the main level) locations. This move made the new master bedroom easily accessible from the other areas of the house. It also meant that the new elevator only had to ascend one story, from the garage at the lower level to the main level.

East Wing – Master Bedroom & Gym

West Wing – Dining Pavilion

Design

We were tasked with creating a design that was modern but also paid respect to the traditional barn typology of the surrounding Pennsylvania countryside. Any improvements or new construction that would be visible along the front elevation was to match the existing colonial house aesthetic. We turned this challenge into an opportunity to direct views to the amazing meadows and gardens of the backyard and beyond by using large expanses of glass to capitalize on the view and integrate a more modern aesthetic of the house additions. The street facing facades of the additions are more traditional looking with the continuation of the brick and lap siding. Smaller window openings and dormers provide daylight and views, consistent with the look of the existing house. We continued the traditional sloped roof aesthetic but used old reclaimed timber from a nearby barn for the structural system. Aside from the exposed timber beams, the interior of the house additions has a modern feel with clean lines, minimal decoration, and modern fixtures.

View from Master Suite

View of Gym

View of Dining Pavilion

Sustainability

For space heating, we are using a combination of radiant floor heating and wood burning stoves. Radiant floor heating is an efficient source of heat. Ambient temperatures in homes with radiant floor heating can actually be cooler than those in forced air homes and the occupants will still feel just as comfortable. In addition, newer wood burning stoves are an efficient source of heat, especially if they are EPA-certified. They burn cleaner and maximize the amount of heat energy from the firewood. Wood is a renewable energy source and with an ample supply of fallen trees on the property and surrounding areas, using a wood burning stove is a sustainable solution for this project.

All windows and window walls use insulated glazing. The window wall system is thermally broken, reducing heat loss through the window frame. Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are used for the roof framing and offer an extremely high thermal performance. They also have less air infiltration than traditional stick framing and fiberglass batt insulation roof construction, which reduces heat loss and energy costs.

We designed for an abundance of natural daylighting with floor to ceiling glazing. Most of the glazing in the addition is north facing, providing a uniform distribution of ambient light and helping to minimize any glare and uncomfortable high contrast areas. Artificial lighting is used in conjunction with the natural daylighting. All the light fixtures for the project are LED fixtures. And the lights in all major spaces are on dimmers to allow our clients to control the amount of light in the spaces and adjust based on natural daylighting levels throughout the day and year.

As we mentioned above, we are using reclaimed timber for the structural system of the additions. Using reclaimed timber reduces the demand for newly sourced wood and reduces the burden on the landfills. It has a lower embodied energy compared to other structural systems, especially since it has been locally sourced.

Construction

Construction has commenced!

The timeline for construction is about a year. This long schedule is due in part to the five-month fabrication time of our window wall system which we hope to cover in more detail in a future post.